Into the Woods
by infinite beauty
Summary: James and Sirius find out about Remus' condition. Remus runs away, convinced that his friends will no longer like him. The two, together with Peter, search for him. First year.
1. A Secret

_Disclaimer: I've wished upon a star, but it DOES make a difference who I am. I am not J.K.R., therefore I do not own this._

**I wasn't so sure about putting this story up. I just wrote it one day because I had to write it. It just...flowed. I didn't really want to put it up, but my friend told me to. This is your reward for 20, count 'em 20, reviews on "It Took you Long Enough!" So here you go. Be gentle.**

Chapter One

"Are you sure? Are you absolutely sure that he's a werewolf?" James Potter asked.

"No, but I'm 99.9 sure. I mean look, he's 'sick' or a family member has 'died' every full moon. His index finger is longer than the others and his knuckles are hairy. Also, he hates silver. Just like the symptoms in the book." Sirius Black explained.

"I guess." James said uneasily.

"Come on, if we _are_ wrong, we'll just laugh it off and it'll be ok." Sirius reasoned

"OK," James said, slightly more reassured.

They pushed open the door to their dormitory, where Remus Lupin was lying on his bed. He looked up as they came in, golden eyes curious. Another symptom, Sirius noted.

"What's up?" Remus asked.

"Remus, we know" Sirius said...well...seriously.

"Know what?" Remus asked.

"That you're a werewolf" James cut in quickly.

"A what?"

"A werewolf" Sirius said, slightly uneasy.

"I don't follow, you think I'm a werewolf?" Remus asked.

"Well...yes." James said, even more uneasily.

"Cause you are always missing on the full moon and your eyes are golden and you have all the other symptoms of a werewolf. Also you seemed to know so much about them in our Defense against the Darks Arts class." Sirius said hurriedly. Then, something unexpected happened.

Remus laughed.

"I...haha...can't believe...he he...that you think I'm a...hehehaha...WEREWOLF!" Remus gasped

"He he." Sirius chuckled nervously. How could he have thought Remus was a werewolf? A werewolf wouldn't react like this.

"Ha ha." James chortled. Sirius was such an idiot. Remus couldn't possibly be a werewolf. No werewolf laughs at an accusation like that. Still laughing, he crawled into bed and fell asleep. Sirius did the same.

But Remus stayed awake. How could they have guessed? Maybe he hadn't been careful enough. No, he hadn't. There were two choices open to him now. 1) He could stay here and still pretend not to be a werewolf. Pros: He could stay with his friends, the first ones he had ever had. Cons: If Sirius and James, two of the most non observant people he had ever met, discovered his secret, how long would it take for somebody less understanding?

2) Run away. Pros: He wouldn't have to worry anymore about being caught and he wouldn't have to lie anymore. Also, he wouldn't put his friends in danger. Cons: He would lose the only real friends he had ever had. He would take choice number two. He hadn't had friends in 11 years, he could do without for longer.

Remus packed his trunk and wrote a note, explaining why he had gone. He crept out silently and levitated his trunk so as not to make any noise. Through a stroke of luck, he managed not to bump into either Filch or Peeves. So Remus Lupin stole his way out of Hogwarts, the only place that could give him a future, and into the Forbidden Forest.

**So, how did you all like it? They're all going to have relatively short chapters because I've already written a lot of the story and they are only one page each. After this, it's basically going to be Remus, Hogwarts, Remus, Hogwarts and so on. I like that style, it's useful. Review! Please? **


	2. A Note

_Disclaimer: Snot mine_

Chapter Two

In the morning, Sirius woke up earlier than usual, about 6:30, and he noticed that Remus was gone. Not very unusual, as Remus was usually up before them. But then he noticed that his trunk was gone as well, and there was a slip of paper tucked into the mirror that hadn't been there the night before. Puzzled, he walked slowly over to the mirror with a growing sense of dread. He unfolded the paper, not wanting to see what was written on it. In shock, he read the following words:

Dear Sirius and James,

I _am_ a werewolf. I just didn't want you two to hate me. I have left. It is the best thing for everyone. It is only a matter of time before my true nature shows and I hurt someone. I never want to hurt either of you so PLEASE DON'T TRY TO FIND ME. The best thing to do would be to forget me.

Remus

James woke to a very white Sirius. He looked to be in a state of shock.

"What is it Sirius?" He asked worriedly. It wasn't often that Sirius looked like that. The last time had been when he had fallen off his broom and broken his leg. Sirius didn't answer, he just dropped the paper and sat on the nearest bed, which happened to be Remus'. James saw that Remus trunk wasn't there and frowned. He then picked up the note that had fallen to the ground and scanned it.

"Oh hell." He said, almost tonelessly. "I can't believe Remus has done this. Running away! Where would he run away to? The Forbidden Forest? He doesn't have a broom. And he was a werewolf! You were right!" He trailed off. Sirius had begun to cry, silently, tears rolling down his face. Now this was_ really _alarming, James had never seen his raven headed friend cry, not even when his father had killed his dog.

"I did it Jamie, I made him run away. If I hadn't guessed then he would be here." Sirius sobbed

"Shh, calm down Sirius," James comforted. "It will be all right. We'll tell the professors and they will find him don't worry."

"He was so patient. He was the only person who would put up with us and help us with our homework." Sirius cried. "He was a _Marauder,_ James!" With that parting thought he burrowed his head under Remus' covers and wouldn't say any more.

Surprisingly, none of the others in the dormitory had been woken by this. James went to find Professor McGonagall to report Remus' absence.

Hey. I am rather sad at the greeting that the first chapter got (NO REVIEWS!) but maybe this time people could leave a litlle something? Hm? What do you say? Good! Reivew!


	3. A Visit

_Disclaimer: Hers, not mine._

Chapter Three

"He's gone?" McGonagall said sharply.

"Yes" replied James.

"You realize this is very serious?" She told him. "We haven't had a student run away at Hogwarts in...about 300 years. Why would he run away?"

"I...I don't know," James said, looking at the floor.

"I think you do, Mr. Potter," McGonagall said sternly.

"I...we...Sirius found out that he was a we- er, why Remus was gone every full moon..." James trailed off, not knowing how the austere Transfiguration professor would take this new development. A single eyebrow raised,

"I see, I think, Mr. Potter, that you and Mr. Black had better go see the Headmaster." James started.

"No, Mr. Potter, you and Mr. Black are not in trouble, but Professor Dumbledore told me to send anybody to him that discovered young Mr. Lupin's...er...condition." James nodded and went off to go find Sirius.

"She _what_?"

"She wants us to go see Dumbledore," James repeated. "But, as I said, we're not in trouble"

"Like hell we aren't!" Sirius yelled. "I mean, come on, we find out our best friend is a werewolf and then cause him to run away, and you think we aren't in _trouble_?!" James sighed

"Come on Sirius, let's go to the Headmaster, McGonagall is waiting outside the portrait hole for us anyway. You wouldn't want her to come in here and get us, would you?"

"No," Sirius said grudgingly. He pulled on his robes and shoes and walked out, James following to make sure his friend didn't make a break for it or sneak back to the dormitory.

McGonagall met them outside the portrait of the Fat Lady, who was snoring away, and motioned with her head to follow her. They moved swiftly and silently. Sirius, even in his pit of despair, memorized all the turns and passages they took to the Headmasters Office. I'm probably going to be visiting there a lot anyway, his brain reasoned. Might as well know the way. When they stopped at a particularly ugly gargoyle, McGonagall said in a loud, clear voice

"Pumpkin Juice." And the gargoyle sprang aside, revealing a long passageway of stairs that the two first years knew, without being told, led up to the Headmasters office. They walked up the stone steps, Sirius wallowing in misery and James a mass of nervousness. McGonagall turned to them and said

"Wait here." And she walked into the stone room.

A few minutes later, she walked out, leaving the door open as she did. She took a look at the two scared boys and disappeared back down the long flight of stairs. Then a voice came from the stone room in front of them

"Come in boys."

OK, I think from now on it's going to be Remus, Hogwarts, Remus, Hogwarts...and so on. The original password was going to be "Ice Mice" but i like "Pumpkin Juice" better. Halloween is almost here! Pia O'Leary and Tabitha78, i love you. You are the only reviewers for my story. May your candy bags be full of sweets. And just so people know, I have now clue when this story is taking place, just that it's their first year. Review!


	4. An Encounter

_Disclaimer: Hi Fiddle Dee Dee..It doesn't belong to me!_

Chapter Four

Remus looked at his surroundings. Oh dear, he was lost. No, wait he wasn't lost, he just had no idea where he was. He sighed and sat down on his trunk, which he had been levitating in front of him in order to free up his hands should anything nasty come along. So far the young boy had been lucky, as not many things will mess with a werewolf, even in human form, for they are amazingly strong. As he rested, he thought about his decision to leave. Now that he was cold, wet, tired and hungry, it didn't seem like a good idea anymore. With a groan, he stood up and picked up his wand again.

"Wingardium Leviosa," he muttered, and the trunk levitated again. He didn't even know _why_ he had brought his trunk. Maybe he was just stupid, but the part of his mind that was usually called 'that annoying little voice in your head' but he simply called 'mother', told him that he should be clean. He hated that voice now.

Finally, an hour later, he stumbled on a sufficient clearing that he could set up camp in. There were some fluffy looking leaves on a bush that he could sleep on and the ground was nice and flat, almost trampled. Right now though, the tiny eleven year old boy was exhausted. In fact, so exhausted that he promptly fainted.

Two hours later, Remus woke to the sound of hooves. He blinked, shook his head and watched as what looked like a man walked swiftly through the bushes. Then, as he came closer, Remus realized that it was not a man, it was a _centaur_. He had heard about how they lived in the Forbidden Forest, and didn't like other creatures moving in on their territory. At least he could reason with them, he thought. Suddenly, he felt a cold piece of stone against the base of his neck.

"What is it?" The centaur he had seen called.

"A werewolf!" The centaur behind him sneered.

"A werewolf?" The other centaur didn't look afraid, but startled. "Why is one of their kind here? I thought we had driven them off."

"It is a cub. From the school." The centaur with the arrow at Remus' neck did not sound pleasant. "What are you doing here werewolf?" He jabbed the arrow closer into the frightened boys neck.

"Please," he whimpered. "I didn't mean to intrude on your land." At least he didn't use silver, he thought, or I would be dead.

"I'm sure." Said the sneering one said. "You probably wanted to kill us all, didn't you?"

"Now, now Bane," the first one said. "He is, as you said, a cub. What are you doing here boy?" This question was directed at Remus. "Why aren't you at the school? Are you here for detention? And if so, where is Hagrid?"

"Nobody knows I'm here," Remus cried. "I ran away because my friends will hate me now that they know what I am. Please don't hurt me." He fell down and began sobbing. The unnamed centaur looked at Bane.

"It's probably just a ruse," Bane growled. "There are probably more of them waiting in the bushes, ready to kill us. You can't trust werewolves Firenze."

"Nevertheless, he is only a cub, and we protect the young. Cub, look at me." Remus looked up, tears coursing down his dirty cheeks. "You may stay here for a while. But by the week of the full moon, when we come here again, you must be gone. If you are not, I will let Bane do what he so obviously wishes to do. Understand?" Remus nodded and the centaurs went off in the directions they came. He was shaking, not only because of his hunger and the fact that he had been crying, but because he saw the look Bane had given him.

He also noticed that as the bloodthirsty centaur went off, he had been fingering a silver blade.

OK, so when i wrote this, my friends had no clue about the whole 'silver knife' thing. So, because I don't want to confuse my two loyal readers, her you go. Silver causes pain for a werewolf. To die by a knife is slow and painful (if they do it right-er wrong) but for a werewolf to die by silver is uber-painful. So there you go. If you have any questions, just e-mail me at Review!


	5. A Conversation

_Disclaimer: Harry Potter is in no way, shape or form, mine. Poop._

Chapter Five

"Come in boys". At the sound of Dumbledore's voice, Sirius and James walked slowly into his office. "I understand that you discovered that young Mr. Lupin is indeed a werewolf?" They nodded. " I also understand that you confronted him about it?" Again they nodded.

"Yes sir, we told him that we knew that he was a werewolf and then he laughed." Sirius said. "He laughed and said that he couldn't believe that we thought he was a werewolf. So we just laughed too and then we went to sleep. When I woke up, he was gone and he had left a note." Sirius finished and looked down at the ground again.

"I see," Dumbledore said slowly. "And do you have this note?" Sirius shook his head but James nodded a third time and said

"Yes sir, I do."

"Well, can I have it?" James, who was starting to resemble a bobble head, nodded yet again and gave the slip of paper to the Headmaster. Dumbledore scanned the piece of paper and then set it down. "What do you think boys?" He asked.

"Why would he leave?" Sirius yelled. "I mean, why would we hate him? Just because he's a werewolf doesn't mean we will automatically hate him. I mean, he's our friend!"

"I'm afraid, Mr. Black," Dumbledore cut in. "That a lot of people would hate him 'just because he's a werewolf.'"

"Well...yeah...but Remus is different! He should have known that we wouldn't hate him because of that!"

"Are you finished Mr. Black?" Dumbledore asked, eyes sparkling.

"Yeah, I am." Sirius said, then slumped down in his chair.

"What do you think Mr. Potter?" Dumbledore had turned to James, who was still vaguely nodding.

"Um, I think that Sirius is right, Remus should have known that we couldn't hate him just because he gets a little touchy at the full moon. But I understand why he left. Not everybody is accepting of werewolves, especially pureblood families, and the Blacks and Potters are some of the purest. He probably thought that we would come after him with silver if he admitted it. But what I don't know is where he would run away to."

"Ah, that we have an idea of." Dumbledore said.

"Where? Where?" Sirius cried.

"The Forbidden Forest." Dumbledore replied gravely.

"The Forbidden Forest? Why? That thing must be 100 Kilometers wide! Nobody would ever...find...him. Oh. Sirius trailed off as realization dawned on him. "

"Exactly. Dumbledore said. Unfortunately, the first part is what the centaurs consider their territory. They will not take kindly to a werewolf in their area, even if he is a child. He might be killed."

**Poor Remmy! Don't worry though, he wont die. Cuz i love him too much! Anyway, in case you haven't noticed, Sirius is very...sonserned about his little friend. If i can wangle (haha! wangle! isnt that a great word?) it, then it may just be a sort of prelude to a slash story. But i dunno, it might not. So keep reading! and REVIEW! **


	6. A Killing

_Disclaimer: Rowlings, not mine_

Chapter Six

As Remus lay his extra cloak over the fluffy leaves that he had gathered, he thought. I have till the week of the full moon to get out. That means I have a week. He stood back and looked at the little clearing that he had made into a sort of home for the week. It didn't look exactly homey, but it would do. A huge band of pain had his stomach in its grip, he needed food. Remus looked around the place, he realized that he hadn't brought anything with him. Stupid. He saw a rabbit, it was hopping along, the smell of fresh meat was driving him crazy. The wolf in him was begging for him to kill it, to rip the tender meat off its bones, and for once, he listened to it.

The skull crunched, and warm, slightly metallic blood flooded his mouth. Fresh meat entered his belly and he felt satisfied. There was no water handy, so he drank it's blood. When the marrow had been sucked from its tiny bones, he fell asleep, full.

When he woke up again, he looked around and groaned. Bits of rabbit were littered everywhere in the clearing and the smell of death and blood lay heavily over the area. He tried not to listen to the wolf, because this is what happened when he did. Remus tried to look on the bright side, at least he was full. Besides, it was him or the rabbit. Not really, but it made him feel better. Then he did the unthinkable.

He thought about his friends. How they had really seemed to be OK with the fact that he was a werewolf, even though he had pretended he wasn't. But they both were from pureblood families, families that tended to kill werewolves for fun. He shivered as he remembered a case where a werewolf was put to death for venturing into a crowded area two days before the full moon by Judge Maxwell Potter. The Black's just hated half-bloods in general, and although Sirius seemed to hate his family, he was still raised by them and had some of their morals imprinted on his mind. They were probably having loads of fun without him, glad that there wasn't a vicious werewolf in their midst. A tear rolled down his face, crap, he was crying to much. He was just a useless baby, a stupid werewolf who didn't have the right to live. That's what his father always told him and perhaps he was right. He cried himself to sleep, alone and miserable. As he slept, clouds whisked across the sky, revealing the moon. It was half full.

**Ok, Ok, no slash! Whatever my reviewers want, they get. Right, in case you haven't noticed, this is kinda gory. But, he's a werewolf, what do you expect? Remus and the rabbit to become friends? Silly. Sorry if I'm rambling, i saw The Ring last ngiht and i'm still kinda freaked out. Mirrors and trees everywhere. Good movie though. Well, i'm off subject. Anyway, in this series, Remus is gonna cry quite a bit. But, if you were 11, just ran away from your only friends, the place that could give you a decent future, were hungry, killed something when you tried not to listen to the side of you who told you to...the list goes on and on. Also, I'm not so clear about the moon phases, if anybody knows what phase the moon is in a week before the full moon, tell me and I'll change it. Review! **


	7. A New Friend

_Disclaimer: Rowlings, not mine_

Chapter Seven

Sirius left Dumbledore's office in a kind of trance. The idea that Remus Lupin, his best friend apart from James, might be killed, was a hard one to accept. James seemed to be handling it better, but he hadn't been as good a friend to Remus as Sirius had. Sirius tended to take a liking to somebody and then pour his whole being into the friendship. That's what made him such a good friend, but it also made it hard to stop being friends with him and would hurt him one day. James tended to ease into friendships, with a little more caution than Sirius. He was concerned for Remus, very concerned, but he wasn't as completely and utterly devastated by his loss as Sirius was. Sirius had put a lot into his and Remus' friendship, coaxing him out of his shell, worrying about him every time he was missing, finding out how perfect he was for their little gang and putting all that thought and research into finding out what Remus was. Now that the little golden headed boy was gone, it was as if he had taken a bit of Sirius with him.

James sighed and muttered the password (Fairy Gold) to the Fat Lady, Sirius followed him, wearily. When they entered the Common Room, there was only one person in it. A small chubby little boy that he recognized as Peter Pettigrew, he had followed James and Sirius around, amazed at their leadership and pranks, and gazed at Remus with awe as he silenced the two boisterous boys with the tiniest twitch of an eyebrow. He looked up happily, hero worship shining from his gray blue eyes. James was all set to walk past him when Sirius, on an impulse, stopped and turned to Peter.

"Hey. You're Peter right? Peter Pettigrew?" Peter nodded furiously. "Cool. Listen, Pete, do you want to be our friend?" Peter nodded again, eyes as wide as dinner plates. "Good, then, you're our new friend. See you later." Sirius stalked off upstairs, leaving a very happy Peter and a stunned James behind him.

**right, this is short. but i think it gets everything important in it. also, peter isnt that bad of a guy. right now that is. i think the transformation started arund when james and lily started dating. but anyway. also "It Took You Long Enough!" is taking me long enough. I have MASSIVE writers block. Luckily, my friend gave me an "I love Ron" tshirt that gave me some inspiration. I hope to have it up on Christmas as a gift to all of my faithful(and patient!) reviewers. Luv u all. REVIEW! **


	8. A Unicorn

_Disclaimer: See previous chapters._

Chapter Eight

Remus was foraging for food. He had felt sick after eating the rabbit, he always did after he killed something, even when his father had liked him and they had gone fishing, he had felt sick. So he was looking for plants or mushrooms that would satisfy his hunger. Two days had gone by since the incident with the centaurs, he had five days to find another place out of their territory. As he looked for something that would keep him sustained, he wished that he had maybe paid more attention in Herbology. He also wondered what they were doing at the castle. He had to tell himself many, many times not to do this, but he always ended up doing it anyways. As he wandered around on all fours, eyes peeled for anything to eat that wasn't alive, he thought of Quidditch, and the warm Common Room, and Dumbledore and how he had given Remus a chance when no one else would. He felt his eyes burn, but he didn't cry. He rather fancied that he had cried his eyes dry, but in reality he had just gotten used to the thoughts. They hurt, like the bite from the original werewolf, but it was a dull ache, one that he had gotten used to.

With a sigh, Remus pulled a spring onion out of the ground. Looking at it dangling there, he made a face. He _hated _onions. But, hunger made him…well…hungry. He ate the foul tasting thing and looked for more. With his lack of food, he would eat anything that would give him sustenance. A large mushroom seemed to call to him, he could smell it and almost _hear _it, but when he touched it, it seemed to burn his skin. Crap, it must be one of those poisonous mushrooms Professor Rosemary was telling them about earlier that year. He sat down, knees sore from crawling so close to the ground. As silence settled around him, he realized that he could hear a stream close by. Thank God for super sensitive hearing! He managed to stand on his two feet and staggered off to look for the water.

When he stumbled in on the clearing, he stared in amazement. There was a full grown unicorn drinking at the crystalline stream. It's white coat gleamed softly in the sun, white hooves glinting faintly. The unicorn's horn seemed to be made from diamond and was spiraled in a fantastic way. He heard the sound it made as it drank its fill, a musical sound. He could feel its innocence and beauty from where he was standing. He realized that his breath had caught in his throat and let it out, quietly.

It was not quiet enough though. The unicorn looked up, and Remus noticed it's eyes were silver, like its hooves. He stared at it one second longer before it ran from him. He sank to his knees, knowing that the reason the equine beauty had run was because of him. Because of his condition, his curse. He dragged himself to the brook and drank from the water that the unicorn had drunk from. It revived his severely depleted strength and he found the energy to walk on his feet back to the clearing that was to be his home until the week of the full moon.

**Soooooo, another chapter up. I know they are short, but i think i explained before that they oly take up about a page in Word. That's how they are written. Anyway, i have another story thinger all written up, but unforutnately, I lost the book where I ** **wrote it down. It really sucks. Anyway, I'm thinking about writing a songfic, once i figure out how too, that is. Review! **


	9. A Thought

_Disclaimer: Not mine_

Chapter Nine

Peter was _not_ an interesting person. Sirius didn't even know why he had invited the boy to become a Marauder. James certainly didn't. Sirius berated himself constantly for letting the dull, blonde boy into their little circle. Just about the only thing he was useful for was when they wanted a getaway person, he was so dull nobody would suspect him, and they had Remus for that. _Had_ Remus, he reminded himself. The boy had gone off and run away to the Forbidden Forest. With a sigh, he rolled over and fell into a dreamless, if troubled, sleep.

When he woke up it was Sunday. He fell out of bed and went to shower. After his morning ritual, he went to see McGonagall. He was going to find out everything he could do to help find Remus again.

"I am sorry Mr. Black, there isn't much you can do," McGonagall said sadly, "We can only ask the centaurs if they have seen anything and even then," here she sniffed, "They are quite unreliable. They may have seen him, they may not have seen him, but they might not tell us either way." Sirius looked crushed, he had hoped that finding his lost friend would involve some adventure. He had imagined him and James and yes, Peter, fighting their way through the Forbidden Forest to at last discover Remus, and they would all be friends again. It appeared that this was not to be the case. He turned to go, but the professor stopped him. "We think that it might be easier to find him after the full moon," she said quietly. "Not many beings don't notice a werewolf on the full moon." Sirius nodded and turned to go again, when she stopped him yet another time. "Keep in mind, Mr. Black, Mr. Lupin does not want to be found, if we do find him, be prepared that he may not appreciate it." Sirius nodded, but in fact, the thought had not crossed his mind. Not want to be found? Why ever not? If he ran away, he would do it for the attention, and he would do everything he could to be found. But Remus was different, he reminded himself. He had run away because he thought that he could save his friends, that they would not even _want_ to be friends with him anymore. Remus had not so much as run away, but tried to make it as if he had never come to Hogwarts.

**Oh God, i'm so sorry about the loooong wait. A lot of stuff has been happening lately. But i'll have the next chapter posted up by Sunday, i promise! Poor Sirius! He's so worried about Remy! So sweet. Next Chapter: It's the week before the full moon. Where will Remus go? REVIEW! **


	10. A Stroke of Luck

_Disclaimer: Not mine_

Chapter Ten

Well, the week was up. Remus packed up his trunk again and stood up, ready to walk to another, safer place for his transformation 5 nights from now. His first thought had been the Shrieking Shack again, but that was too obvious. They would probably be waiting there for him, and then they would take him back to the school, back to his friends who probably hated him right now. He sighed and made up his mind to walk deeper into the woods. That way, he could run rampant and wouldn't kill anyone. He might kill something, but at least people (and hopefully centaurs) would be safe. He heard a rustling in the bushes and bolted, hoping it wasn't the centaurs. He didn't fancy dying right now, even if he wouldn't have much of a life as a hermit in the Forest.

He didn't know how long he ran. Only that when he started it was about noon, and now the sun had set. Panting from his long run, he noticed a small cave a little while up. Hoping that it wasn't already inhabited, he pulled his aching body toward it, forgetting about his trunk.

The cave was dark, and slightly damp. The smell of heavy dirt lay thick, but there was no smell of any living creature there, which surprised him. Too tired to be cautious, Remus fell asleep on a small ledge.

When Remus opened his eyes the next day, the first thing he noticed was that he heard the sound of running water. The second thing he noticed was that he was thirsty. He stood up, and the pounding headache one got when they were dehydrated hit him immediately. Shaking a little, he followed the sound, which was in the back of the cave. There, at the very back of the deep cave, lay a small pool of clear water. Right next to it sat a small hollowed out rock, almost exactly like a bowl. Thinking about what a wonderful coincidence that was, he took a deep sip from the bowl. Nothing happened, so he took another sip, and another. Soon he was drinking great bowlfuls of the cold, cold water. Now though, he was hungry. He needed to eat something, and soon. He wandered out of the cave to see if he could find any mushrooms and saw, not 10 feet away from his trunk, a banana tree. Odd, he didn't think there were any banana trees in Britain. Then he supposed that if any place was going to have the only wild banana tree, it would be the Forbidden Forest. Remus ate many bananas, their sweetness a bit nauseating after only eating onions and mushrooms for the past week. After eating his fill, he sat on the ground, wondering what on earth he could do. Perhaps, to entertain himself, he could perform a little magic? No, he rejected the idea almost immediately, the Ministry has ways of pinpointing where underage magic was performed and he didn't want to be caught. True, he had performed levitating spells and Lumos once in a while, but it would be too much to hope for more luck. He would read. He had received an Umbridge book on werewolves the week before he had left and hadn't got a chance to read it yet. Although he thought that Umbridge was a complete and total cow who knew nothing about werewolves or indeed, any magical creatures, her writing was so clichéd that it was funny. He just skipped over the Introduction ( Why Werewolves are Wicked) and started reading on how to recognize one. He was a bit startled to realize that only about a quarter of them were true. He certainly did not smell of blood! And he definitely bathed more than twice a month. He laughed at the rest of the symptoms, happy for the first time in ages.

**Yay! I posted it up on time! is proud See? See? Something good has happened to Remy! Next chapter is the Full Moon! Sirius' point of view. Then, in a twisted-y way it will be Remus' point of view during the Full Moon! Wow...REVIEW! please?**


	11. A Visit to the Astronomy Tower

_Disclaimer: This does not belong to me, if it did, Harry would get over imself and the books would probably take even longer to get out than they do now, judging by the time it takes to put out chapters._

Chapter Eleven

It was the night of the full moon. Sirius stared out of his dormitory window at the night sky. James came up behind him.

"We'll find him, OK Sirius? We'll find him." he promised. Peter looked up from the comic he was reading.

"Yeah, we'll find him." he echoed. The two boys had told Peter about Remus after a long discussion. Peter didn't care, in fact, he had been wondering if it was something like that himself. Although Peter might not have been the brightest hunk of cheese, he was observant. Sirius wasn't very reassured though. The Forbidden Forest was enormous and there were dangerous animals in it and what if Remus got hurt or worse was _killed _and oh no, he was thinking in run-on sentences again. The moon was high in the sky now, a white orb that represented a time of pain and suffering to Remus. Sirius glared at the moon. How dare it look so innocent and pretty, when it caused Remus and other werewolves such pain! McGonagall came into the room, causing the boys to jump.

"Now boys, I think that you should go to bed. I told you before, there is nothing that you can do to find young Lupin." she admonished the first-years. The boys, still in sight shock at having a _woman _professor in the boys dorms at night, looked depressed.

"Professor, can't we just stay up? Please?" Sirius begged. "I don't think we could sleep anyway, what with Remus being out there, all alone and all." McGonagall's face softened. The boys were obviously very concerned about their friend. They might not even sleep tonight, and how would she feel, depriving young boys of their sleep? Besides, who could resist faces like that?

"Fine, you can stay up tonight, but you must come with me to the Astronomy Tower. The Headmaster and I, along with Professor Kettleburn, are watching to see if we can spy any trace of Remus." The three boys jumped up happily. Spending the night in the Astronomy Tower watching for their friend who was at that moment a vicious, bloodthirsty wolf? Awesome! They grabbed their robes and followed McGonagall to the tower.

As they reached the top, they heard a wild howl coming from the forest. It was a mournful sound, echoing slightly in the dark woods. Peter shivered.

"Is that…Remus?" he whispered. Dumbledore nodded slightly.

"It is indeed, Mr Pettigrew. We are hoping that we can use tracing charms to pinpoint the whereabouts of Mr Lupin by sound, but it will prove difficult I'm afraid. Werewolves with new territory move about a lot." The three boys and three teachers looked out upon the Forbidden Forest until morning, when they would see if they could find any sign of Remus Lupin.

**Yes! Another chapter is POSTED! does victory dance it has been a while, i know. But luckily, if i listen to some Linkin Park right now, i might be able to write a new story! a NEW STORY! wow. If i dont, i will go through my journal and post a new story anyways! i rock, so please review...all my friends have left me for Canada. I am friendless, do not deprive me of reviews! XoXo **


	12. A Transformation

_Disclaimer: Harry Potter does not belong to me, if it did, then the series would be focused on the Marauders. In leather. Except for Peter, who would be eaten by giant Flobberworms. _

Chapter 12

Remus sat hunched over in his little cave. The sun was starting to set, a beautiful sight to anyone but him. Sunset meant moonrise. As the last of the sun dipped behind the horizon, he was suddenly overcome with terrible pain. His body started shaking as his bones cracked and shifted into a canine shape. His skin felt on fire he grew long, coarse fur and his nails hardened and grew into long, lethal claws. He let out a scream that turned into a howl at the end. His transformation was complete.

A giant wolf stood where a small boy had stood before. His eyes, still amber, were crazed with bloodlust. It sniffed, trying to catch the scent of prey. The forest was alive with smells and sounds. It heard a rabbit in the bush, a centaur cantering away in fear of the werewolf's call. It smiled, if werewolves can smile, and looked around at its new hunting grounds. It smelt the dusty, earthy smell of the leaves as they decomposed, smelt the fear of the creatures of the forest. This was going to be fun.

Several minutes later, the wolf was running through the forest, enjoying the wind in its fur and the seemingly endless amounts of space it had to hunt in. It caught the scent of blood in the air and headed for whatever creature was injured.

A wild boar lay on its side by a stream. Its side had been gashed by another male boar during a fight. Its breathing was shallow now, it knew that it didn't have much longer to live. Trying to drink some water, it suddenly heard some rustling in the bushes. It raised its head, trying to see with its weak and clouding eyes what was there. It tried sniffing to see if it could smell the intruder, but smelt nothing out of the ordinary. The wolf was, of course, upwind. The boar never even saw the wolf coming.

After eating its fill, the wolf lay down to sleep. It wasn't used to eating such a big meal and anyway, it was tired. Many creatures, including the centaurs, gave the area a wide berth. A werewolf wakened from sleep was even more terrifying than a hungry werewolf.

Time passed, the moon began to set and the sun to rise. The werewolf woke as horrible spasms racked its body. Its bones cracked and shrunk to the normal human size. Its eyes lost the crazed, bloodthirsty look and its fur disappeared. In it's place was a shivering, skinny eleven year old boy. Remus picked himself up, sore but unharmed for the most part. Unfortunately, he had no idea where he was.

**Yes, i know its not actually that good. And i am sorry. BUT, next chapter there will be...A SEARCH PARTY! will they find Remus? Most likely, because as much as i love this story, it needs to finish up. REVIEW! XoXo!**


	13. A Cloak

_Disclaimer: Harry Potter Does Not Belong To Me. pouts_

Chapter 13

Sirius bounced around the Gryffindor common room, ecstatic. Today they would start looking for Remus! He imagined Dumbledore fighting off bloodthirsty monsters, McGonagall transfiguring harmful plants into harmlass ones, him, James and Peter finding a grateful Remus. Then they would all come back to the castle for a nice tea. What he didn't imagine was what came next.

"What do you mean we can't come with you?" Sirius shrieked.

"Precisely that." McGonagall said matter-of-factly. "It is far too dangerous in the Forest for young boys to come."

"But-but-but Remus is our _friend_!" Sirius wailed. His dreams were being crushed, and there was nothing he could do about it. He had gone from happy to miserable in less than a minute.

"Professor McGonagall, Remus _is _our friend, and we are very concerned about him," James broke in. "Surely we can help. After all, we know how he thinks, and we can get to places that you can't, because you are too big." McGonalgall looked thoughtful, but shook her head after a minute.

"No, I'm sorry gentleman, it is simply too dangerous. Dumbledore doesn't want you three to get hurt in the forest, and I have to say that I completely agree with him." Sirius started to loudly protest, and Peter looked as if he was going to cry. Only James looked contrite.

"Yes ma'am." he aid quietly, and dragged his friends out of the room. Sirius and Peter immediately began to yell at James once they were back in their dormitory.

"James! How could you just say 'Yes ma'am' and be done with it! Don't you _care _that Remus might be _dead_?" Sirius bellowed.

"Why don't they think that we can go on the search party? We're old enough!" cried Peter.

"Shhh!" James whispered. "Quiet down you two, I have a secret." This shut the two up immediately. They loved secrets. "My granddad sent me an Invisibility Cloak for my birthday last month! I say that we use it to go search for Remus with the teachers." He looked at his two friends. A sly smile spread across Sirius' face, and there was a light in Peter's eyes.

"James, that's a brilliant idea," Peter said. "Will it fit all three of us though?"

"Why don't we try it out?" The three scrambled under the coat that James had just fished out from his trunk, and were glad to see that it did indeed fit them all, as they were quite small. The boys then ran to the Great Hall, where they were sure the search party would assemble.

The Forest was dark and damp, and the three had to be sure not to trip over anything or in any way alert the teachers to their presence. Dumbledore was sending out search spells, James couldn't hear anything apart from "Remus John Lupin" at the end though. Sirius hadn't guessed how dark it would be in the Forest. He thought it would be a sort of half-light, not this 8-o'clock-PM-in-the-middle-of-winter darkness. It wasn't going to be easy to find Remus, much harder than he thought. Peter was listening hard for any sound that could give away an eleven year old werewolf's position. He had always had excellent hearing, and one day that would get him into trouble, but that's a different story. Peter heard many things, but none of them were what he wanted to hear. Finally, the professors stopped in a large glade, where Dumbledore magicked up a small picnic.

"Would you care to join us, masters Black, Potter and Pettigrew?"

**Yay! A New Chapter! I would have had them find poor sweet darling Remus, but this chapter sort of flowed. And whenever a chapter 'flows' the characters get a mind of their own and control the story. Do you know what i mean? The thing is, i'm trying to figure out what on EARTH i'm going to put next chapter, because i didn't plan on another Remus view...perhaps them finding him? That sound's good. Review pwett pwease? puppy dog eyes xOxO**


	14. An Attack

_Disclaimer: Harry Potter Does Not Belong To Me. pouts_

Chapter 14

Remus stumbled about, trying to figure out where on earth he was in the Forest. His clothes were in the cave. Whoopee, he was a small, naked first year in the middle of the Forbidden Forest, with a large cut on his arm.

"Well, it could be worse," he mused "It could have been like the last time." He shivered. His last transformation had been terrible. He had had to stay in the infirmary a _whole week _until Madam Pomfrey would let him out. Even then, she wasn't completely happy. "Now, which side of the tree does moss grow on again? West? Or was it North?" He looked at a tree. Moss all over. Remus groaned. "For Merlin's sake!" he cried. "Why doesn't anything work out!" So he stumbled about again, this time humming a little tune that he had heard somewhere and couldn't quite place.

After about half an hour of this, he finally came to rest at a particularly large boulder. It was very large and very gray, and had moss growing all over it. Remus rested against the rock for a minute, then, because he was an eleven year old boy, and therefore very curious, decided to climb to the top. It was difficult work, due to its largeness, and it was several minutes before he reached the top. When he stood up, dusted off his hands, and looked at what there was to see, his mouth dropped open. It was beautiful. A large lake, clear blue and clear, with many leafy things growing around it, and lotus' and lilies in the water. Amazing, simply amazing. And look! there was Hogwarts in the distance! It's gray shape looming in the dusky (or is it dawny?) skies. Remus gave a whoop, one of the happiest sounds he had made in a while, and slid down the rock. He began racing toward the lake, dreaming of what the cool water would feel like to his aching body, and whooped again. A light came on. A pretty, pretty light, dancing around prettily. He stopped and looked at it. It danced again, skipped away merrily. He smiled a slightly stupid smile and started to run after it. The more he ran after it though, the more it ran away.

"Come back light!" he called. "Come here and play!" His mind was trying to tell him something, something about dancing lights and danger. He didn't listen though, the glow was far too beautiful to listen to something like your _brain_. He was getting deeper and deeper into the woods, the ground started getting mooshier and mooshier until SPLAT! he tripped and fell into a rather large mud puddle. He came back to his senses as something leaped on top of him, grabbing at his hair and gnawing at him.

"Sweet Merlin!" Remus thought, "It's a Hinkypunk!" They hadn't done them yet in Defense Against the Dark Arts, but he had read about them in _Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them_. The thing was, he couldn't remember how to get rid of them without magic. So it looked like he would have to stun it with his wand. Which could give away his position…but, he would rather not die, or at least be grievously wounded, in this undignified way. Scrabbling in his robes, he pulled out his wand.

"Petrificus Totalus!" he shouted. The Hinkypunk fell off him, petrified for the moment. Looking around him for more, Remus got up and ran in the direction he thought his cave was. After all, all his stuff was there.

A mile away, Dumbldore stood up suddenly, his wand shooting off gold sparks.

"The picnic is over! I've discovered master Lupin's whereabouts!"

**Whoo! they know where Remus is! Although poor Remmy got attacked by a Hinkypunk...yes. I was going to have the rock be a troll. Then i changed my mind and was going to let him rejoice in the lake, but i got bored with that idea almost immediately. So now he gets attacked by a Hinkypunk, gets away with a few bites and scratches, and at the same time lures his friends and Dumbledore to find him. Pretty good huh? also, the tune has no importance, its just there. I know its been way too long since i updated, but theres been a lot going on over here. ReviewsReviewsReviews!**


	15. A Picnic

_Disclaimer: Harry Potter Does Not Belong To Me. pouts_

Chapter 15 

Peter, Sirius and James scarfed down the cold chicken as if they hadn't eaten for days. In reality, it had only been several hours, but to an eleven year old boy, what was the difference between days and hours when it came to food? The other teachers where eating slowly and neatly. Dumbledore hadn't toushed a bite of food, and was slowly walking around the clearing, muttering to himself and sending off little silver sparks with his wand.

The boys had been very surprised to learn that Dumbledore and the teachers had known they were there the entire time. Apparently they hadn't been very discreet, and all their muttered "Ow!"s and angry curses had just made the teachers laugh. Well, Peter mused, they tried, and at least they weren't being sent back. He was quite keen on trying to find Remus, the amber-eyed boy had always helped him with his homework, and was very patient.

Suddenly, Dumbledore's head shot up, eyes dancing, wand shooting off enormous gold sparks.

"The picnic is over!" here the boys gasped. Why was their precious food to be taken away? "I've discovered master Lupin's whereabouts!" Here they whooped and shot up. Peter pocketed another leg of chicken. The teachers jumped up much more nimbly than teachers should, and in a trice, the food was packed away and they were off.

"Professor? Professor Dumbledore?" Sirius asked as he hurried to keep up with the old man.

"Yes master Black?" the old man smiled.

"Where is Remus anyway?" Sirius was curious about how the gold sparks worked. How could some sparkly things show where a person was? It didn't make sense. You needed a map or something to do that.

"Well, master Black, it doesn't' quite _show_ me where he is, but it sort of guides me. You see, the _expiscor_ charm is a charm to 'fish out' the object that you are seeking. The sparks will shoot one way or another, and we follow the sparks until we come upon master Lupin." Dumbledore explained, and, as he finished, the golden sparks veered left, and the party changed course. Sirius nodded and stored this piece of information away for later, one would never know when it could be useful.

2 hours later, the three boys were getting very tired. The land had been steadily getting boggier and boggier for the past 30 minutes, and even Dumbledore was ready to call a rest. Suddenly though, the golden sparks shot up very high, making a low keening sound.

"He's in the area!" Dumbledore cried. "Start searching for him!" the teachers scattered, calling "Lupin!" under their breaths. Sirius, James and Peter split up too, calling more loudly than the teachers were.

It was James who found him first. It seemed as though Remus had tripped over a log and couldn't get up.

"Over here!" he yelled. "Sirius! Peter! Dumbledore! He's here!" turning towards his friend, he suddenly noticed that Remus' breathing was shallow. That wasn't right, was it? "Remus? Remus? Are you ok?" he asked. Remus made a groaning sound and opened his eyes blearily. Dumbledore came out of the trees, and rushed over to them, Sirius and Peter following behind, looking worried. Dumbledore examined Remus quickly.

"I'm afraid your friend is highly dehydrated, but he should be ok, provided we get him back to the castle quickly." Sirius let out a sigh of relief and smiled weakly. Peter jumped about, singing "We found him We found him" under his breath. Dumbledore called for the teachers again, and they made hteir way back to the castle, Remus on a floating cot before them.

**YAY! they found him! and i actually updated! whoo! life is good! everything is going to be happyhappyhappy from now one! cuz the story is almost at an end. awwwww. Remus is just dehydrated, which hurts like hell, but with the wonders of magic, he will be alrighty. Reviews are welcome!**


	16. An End

_Disclaimer: Harry Potter Does Not Belong To Me. pouts_

Chapter 16

When Remus awoke, he found himself in the Hospital Ward in Hogwarts. He closed his eyes, it was just another day after a transformation, James and Sirius would be along to see him soon…then Remus remembered. He had run away. He wasn't supposed to be here! He was supposed to be in the Forest, where nobody would get hurt! Why was he back in Hogwarts? He sat up quickly, and experienced a headache like no other he had ever experienced.

"Careful." Madam Pomfrey chided as she walked in the door. "You're still quite dehydrated, and you're going to have a massive headache until you are properly hydrated again." Remus nodded, wincing slightly at the pain, and slid down into his bed and sleep.

When he awoke, he was greeted by the sight of Dumbledore sitting in an armchair at the end of his bed.

"Nice to see you back with us, mister Lupin," he said. Remus swallowed.

"Sir, I can explain, you see-" he started, but Dumbledore cut him off.

"Now, now, none of that master Lupin. I think your little note explained that well enough. However, I know there are a few people who would like to speak to you." At this, Dumbledore motioned to the door. Remus looked over and saw a worried Sirius, a happy James and, surprisingly, an awkward looking Peter. Remus smiled sheepishly, and the three boys ran over to see him.

"Hi Remus," Sirius said. "Are you OK? Why did you run away? What was it like? Why did you think we would hate you? Pete and James helped look for you, and you were all _sick_ and now you're _better_, right?" this all came out in a huge rush. He finished and looked at Remus, eyes wide and expecting answers.

"Errrr…" Remus said, not remembering half the questions, and still very groggy.

"Sirius!" James cut in. "He just woke up! Don't overload him already. There will be time for that _later_." That was James, sensible to the end. But what was _Peter _doing there?

"Hello Sirius, James, Peter. Why are you here?" Remus asked. Why weren't they back in the dormitory where they belonged? Why were they, instead, here, with a dehydrated werewolf in the Hospital Wing on a Sunday morning?

"To see you stupid." Peter put in. He smiled awkwardly and looked to Sirius and James for his next cue.

"Thanks." Remus attempted a laugh, but it was too much for his head and he stopped.

"Well, I think I'll leave you three alone for a while, to sort things out." Dumbledore said bemusedly. He glided over to the door and left, smirking a strange smirk. The boys nodded good bye at him and the moment he left, pounced on poor Remus.

"Why did you run away Remus! We don't mind that you are a werewolf!" Sirius cried. "If you were worried, why didn't you talk to us about it? Pete here is ok with you too!" He didn't seem to understand why on _Earth_ Remus would run away, that it should have been _obvious _that people were ok with his 'disease'.

"I don't know." Remus says miserably. He did know, but he felt it would be callous to mention that their families had put werewolves to death for less than living in a fully inhabited school.

"Yes you do," James puts in. "Did it have anything to do with our families?" Remus bit his lip, James was _good_. "Ahs"

"What about your families?" asked Peter, the Muggle-born.

"They're pureblood, and purebloods have been…less than kind to werewolves in the past." James said, trying to be diplomatic. "We aren't like that now though Remus, and we don't mind." he asserted. Sirius and Peter nodded fervently, anxious to assure Remus that that was so, that they dud not care _what _he was, but rather _who _he was. Remus swallowed, happier than he had been in a long time.

"Thanks guys." he smiled, and, to his horror, started crying. The other three, while stunned and a little uncomfortable at first, gave him a big hug.

When Dumbledore returned to check on them, all three were chatting about some Quidditch team, friends again.

He closed the door

THE END

**Its Over! Everyone is happy and friendlyful again! Did you like it? Did you hate it? REVIEW! i am trying to come up with another fanfic idea. Im sure there will be something after July 16, if not before. once again, R-E-V-I-E-W! **

**also, thanks to my reviewers:**


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